User gem - Ask2Cook.com

What's the easiest way to cut caramel?

2009-11-19T18:06:28Z

I make caramel every year around Christmas time. Making it is easy but cutting it into nice pieces is for tricky for me. Any tips on how to make it easier? I was thinking something like this might be useful. However, I can't find any divided pans in sizes appropriate for caramels.

What vegetarian entrees scare meat eaters?

2009-11-19T16:16:46Z

My husband and I have both grown up vegetarian and have no experience eating or preparing meat. When having meat-eaters over to the house, are there any types of vegetarian dishes, particularly entrees, I should avoid that are generally disliked by meat-eaters? So far, I've been avoiding entrees such as lentil loafs but I don't know if this is just paranoia on my part. I realize that food is a very subjective thing but what type of entrees would you personally wish to avoid?

Answer by Gem for recipes with whole wheat flour

2009-11-18T02:47:18Z

The King Arthur Flour company has a book called Whole Grain Baking: Delicious recipes using nutritious whole grains that has quite a few good recipes in it. For example, their 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread is the lightest whole wheat bread I've ever made.

BTW, have you experimented with White Whole Wheat Flour? It's a whole wheat flour that's made with a white wheat berry instead of red and doesn't taste as "bitter." Our local King Soopers grocery store carries it. It's a bit more expensive but it's very versatile. For example, I make my mother's sweet rolls with 50% white whole wheat and 50% all-purpose and they always turn out great.

Answer by Gem for what can I cook with pumpkin?

2009-11-18T02:30:55Z

The Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea blog has a very good recipe for pumpkin scones.

Answer by Gem for vegetarian recipes?

2009-11-18T02:27:16Z

There are a lot of possibilities. What are you looking for in a vegetarian meal? Something that is healthy, cheap, easy, eco-friendly, or just something you can serve vegetarian friends?

Many ethnic foods can easily be converted to vegetarian such as curries and Asian stir-fries. There are also a lot of good pasta recipes that can be made vegetarian. Here's one of my favorite recipes from my mother-in-law:

Fettuccine with Harvest vegetables

1/2 lb broccoli, tough ends trimmed off

1 lg carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

4 cups spinach leaves, rinsed and drained

1 sm yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 tbs butter

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 cup half-and-half

8 oz fettuccine

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 tsp salt

Cut broccoli into large chunks. In a food processor or with a knife, finely chop separately the broccoli, carrots, spinach, bell pepper, and tomatoes.

Combine butter and garlic in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan on medium-high heat. Add vegetables; stir often until just tender to bite, 4-5 minutes. Add cream and salt. On high heat, boil, uncovered, until sauce is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a 5-6 quart pan, cook pasta uncovered, in 4 quarts boiling water until just tender to bite. Add pasta to sauce and mix in cheese.

If you're interested in exploring more vegetarian recipes. See if your public library has any of the following cookbooks:

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison - A good basic vegetarian cookbook
Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen - Vegetarian classics
The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman - A great book for anyone interested in incorporating more vegetables into their diet

Comment by Gem

2010-01-13T19:39:15Z

That's a good thought. I ended up buying a rectangular hard candy mold that works pretty well.